Author(s): Neta Kela-Madar, Avshalom Danoch, Lorenzo Salas Morera
In this longitudinal study, factor analysis was used to determine the reasons why female engineering students elect to dropout. Data was collected over five years from students at SCE Engineering College. The various reasons for dropping out were documented through a questionnaire that students were obligated to submit before dropping out. The analytical results allude to broad socio-cultural factors such as gender roles in the Middle East, the fact that the population of the college is largely from a low-middle socioeconomic background, and the rigor of the academic and subsequent professional trajectory. These findings serve as a basis for developing a gender cognitive engineering curriculum for female students to increase female representation in the field and make engineering studies more welcoming for female students.